No Excuse
by lNightWriterl
Summary: One-shot for now. Mike is upset over a new client, leaving Harvey to try and play connect the dots. Bromance. Rated T for swearing, but nothing excessive.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone (: I was actually just out mourning a little, I just discontinued two of my stories due to personal reasons when I stumbled upon this little one-shot I had written long ago. I reread it and my thoughts were 'Huh. Not bad Kensi. This might even be publishable!' ...And...Here it is! I hope you enjoy.**

**-Kensi (BTW, I do not own Suits nor Harvey, Donna, or Mike...Just Caleb Nelson and I suppose I shouldn't really be proud I own him -_-...)**

* * *

**No Excuse:**

"Harvey, I'm simply being realistic with you." Donna sighed as she looked over at her boss, who was smirking at her.

"As am I." he countered and she gave a small huff, pushing back a strand of hair from her face.

"Not _everyone_ loves you." She told him and Harvey leaned back into his chair, biting the end of pen with a smug look that would drive every single woman-married or not- over to come swoon over him.

"What are you talking about? I'm _adored_ by all." He told her with a sweeping motion of his hand, gesturing to the world around him. "I mean, what's _not_ to love? My charm, amazing looks, witty personality-"

"Your modesty." Donna added with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, you shouldn't." Harvey teased and continued on "I'm telling you Donna. There isn't a soul alive that doesn't like me."

"Harvey I hate you!" Mike growled, as he came into the office, throwing down his things with much more force than necessary. Donna turned, a small smile on her lips as she raised her eyebrows at her boss who let his mouth fall open.

"You planned that." He accused and she shook her head.

"Nope. You sir, just forget that I am The Goddess of Knowledge. Point one for Donna bitches!" she said as she snapped her fingers before turning to Mike, who was watching the scene with a look of incredulity that his outrage had been ignored.

"Oh, Honey. You look upset!" Donna cooed and the associate blinked for a moment, before glaring again.

"Did you know about this?" he asked her instead and Donna cocked her head, now seriously analyzing her friend. He sincerely looked upset. Realizing the situation was now serious, she looked over at Harvey with an expression that clearly said _what-did-you-do?_

"Know about what?" she asked, trying to sound soothing at Mike's withering look which was directed at Harvey, who simply raised his eyebrows at the open display of hostility.

"_This_." He snarled and slammed down the folder, his hands literally shaking with anger. "Was this supposed to _funny_?" he asked and Harvey leaned forward to grab whatever had his associate so worked up.

"Calm down." He instructed and opened the folder. It wasn't much, just their next case. A rich business owner had been accused of laundering money from his company in order to support his notorious drinking habit. Harvey reviewed the morning in his head. He had taken a look at the file before handing it off to Mike with an address stuck to the front of it and instructions to go talk to the man. Harvey had planned originally to have his own meeting, but figured Mike could get the big details first… That is, assuming that the kid didn't screw up this. Harvey looked up and frowned, wondering if Mike had somehow gotten into a fight with this Caleb Nelson. God knows the man was like a trouble magnet when it came to those things.

"Well?" his associate demanded and Harvey snapped the file shut, giving Donna a look that answered her early question with _I-didn't-do-anything!_

"Could you maybe explain why you are mad?" Harvey asked calmly, but his voice couldn't help but come off as sarcastic. It was built in, he supposed.

"You…You made me _talk to him_." Mike said with barely concealed contempt. "I didn't even realize who it was until I was there. Did you not think that that was something I should know?"

At this point, Harvey had about had enough. He hated not knowing what was going on, and he hated the fact Mike was attacking him over it.

"Get out until you can calm the hell down." Harvey snapped at him and that seemed to be all Mike needed to push past Donna and leave, storming out of the office while drawing many questioning glances.

"What was _that_ all about?" Donna asked, watching with concern. "Harvey what did you do?"

"Nothing! The kid needs to learn how to communicate." Harvey seethed and reopened the file. "Talk to him? Who?!" he frowned. Did he mean their client? Why would he be so upset to talk to the man? Donna leaned over, and picked it up for herself reading for a few moments before worry traced over her features.

"Out of my way." She said and dove into Harvey's desk, searching until she brought out Mike's file. Well, the file that hadn't been tampered with anyways. Harvey insisted the original should be hidden safely away where no one could find it in his desk. Pushing papers aside, she seemed intently searching until one page appeared and she groaned.

"Oh God." She whispered and showed it to Harvey, who snatched it from her without questions.

**Parents: James Ross and Nina Ross (Both deceased)**

**Report: James and Nina Ross were killed in the year 1999 in a car accident driving home at approximately 10:39 PM. Another driver (Caleb Nelson) had hit them head on after drinking excessively at a bar. James Ross died instantly on impact, while his wife died nearly two hours after (12:43 AM). Their son, Michael James Ross was admitted to the hospital for a period of three weeks before being released into the care of Edith Anne Ross. **

Shit…_Shit_.

Harvey felt every fiber of his being go cold. How could he have been so _stupid_? He had _read_ this before. Why hadn't the name sounded familiar? Caleb Nelson…His client, a client he had worked for on several cases actually before Mike came, had been the same man to murder Mike's parents.

The thought made him almost sick.

It was worse though, remembering how on the occasions he had defended the man, that Nina and James Ross had come up. Never by name, of course. It was simply stated 'the time Nelson killed those people due to his drinking'. Harvey had simply brushed it off as an irrelevant mistake to the jury.

An _irrelevant mistake_?

Hopping up, Harvey flew out of the office, leaving Donna to watch him go and pray to fix this situation.

* * *

His breath had smelled like wine.

It had been the first thing Mike noticed about the man he had interviewed earlier. That he had looked strangely familiar, and that he smelled an awful lot like alcohol. Mike hadn't had a whole lot of time to look into the man as he sped over to the address. The location he had needed was at the front of the file, so he simply zoomed off, deciding to look more into when he got there. Opening the file, he smiled at the man and held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Mike Ross. You must be Mr…." Mike felt his eyes skim down the page, memorizing things along the way until. "Nelson?"

It was with dawning horror that the name clicked into place.

Caleb Nelson.

His hand had drawn back so quickly, it would have never even been suspected of being there. Mike looked into the eyes- eyes he had seen once in a car when he was eleven and once more a few weeks later at a trial. A trial in which he had simply gotten a slap on the wrist. Mike couldn't help but think with venom how _now_, Caleb Nelson would be put into prison for life for what he did to his parents.

This was such a nightmare.

And at the moment, Mike's only thought was Harvey. Could his mentor have done this to him on _purpose_? Some kind of sick test of strength? He instantly trashed the idea, even Harvey wasn't _that _cruel. However, another part of him argued that his boss had read both his and Nelson's files. How could he honestly _not_ know? Surely, when he read the files and saw the history of murdering while under the influence, he would have at least _checked_ to make sure the names didn't match…Right?

Now, Mike was standing outside Pearson Hardman, his hands literally quivering with anger as he paced around the building, trying to keep his nerves from frying. He knew he shouldn't had come and snapped at Harvey like he did. He had just been so…So _angry_ at everything. At the fact he had been put in the situation and the fact he would probably be spending the next three weeks _defending_ the son of the bitch. How was he supposed to cope with that? What would his _parents_ think if they were alive? Shuddering, Mike sat on a park bench close to him and pulled out his phone before realizing that he had no one to call. Typical.

"Mike." Crap… Looking up, he met familiar brown eyes and he knew he better as hell come up with a good excuse with his recent freak out session.

"Look, I'm sor-"

"You even think about apologizing and I'm kicking your ass." Harvey cut him off sharply. Mike didn't respond, simply waiting for the yelling to come. To his surprise, it didn't though as Harvey sat on the bench next to him with a critical eye. "I didn't realize who it was Mike." He started and the associate felt the guilt start to eat him up. Sometimes it was hard, having photographic memory you remember everything, yet forget that people don't have the same abilities as you do. How was Harvey supposed to remember a name he stumbled upon in his file anyways?

"I know. I'm…Never mind." He added hastily, remembering the older lawyer's previous threat. "I shouldn't have lost it."

"You know I would have never done that to you right? No matter how pissed off I get, I wouldn't make you do that."

"Even if I cut up all your three piece suits?" Mike asked lightly, trying to ease the tension.

"I would force you to work for Louis for a month before having Donna torture you and then subject you to other cruel tortures before finally firing you, but no. Not even then." Harvey promised and Mike gave a weak smile.

"So… I guess this means I'll be doing all the paperwork then." He said, thinking of all the files he was going to have to sort through.

"Nope."

"I…No? Wait, what?" Mike asked and Harvey stood up, waiting for Mike to scramble to his feet. "Harvey, you don't have to bench me. I can work on the case… I'll just go through the paper stuff, I won't sabotage anything." He tried, but Harvey just shook his head.

"I'm not benching you." He said as he walked away, his phone already out. "I'll be back, I have people I need to talk to."

* * *

"Harvey!" Caleb cried as he saw his lawyer walk in. "It has been too long my friend. I met your associate earlier today… He seemed a bit out of it, is he alright?" he asked and Harvey didn't respond, instead opting to stand in front of the man's desk, looking down upon him with a cold and knowing smile.

"Mr. Nelson." He greeted and Caleb looked slightly alarmed at the sudden formality from his lawyer.

"Harvey, we've known each other for years now, surely you know to call me Caleb." He said cautiously and analyzed the man skeptically. "Is something wrong?" he asked, pouring himself a decent amount of wine before offering some to Harvey, who seemed to grow even more tense at the sight of it.

"You met my associate today."

"Yes…" Caleb replied, baffled at where on earth this could possibly be going at the moment. Hadn't he just said he met the boy?

"His name is Mike Ross." Harvey informed him and Caleb frowned. What was going on?

"I'm…aware…" he said slowly and the other man raised his eyebrows expectantly before taking another step towards his desk, speaking again in almost angry tones.

"You don't recognize the name?" he asked and when Caleb shook his head regretfully he continued "What about Nina and James Ross?" he tried and Caleb frowned, a flicker of something surfacing, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what… Nina and James… Why did they sound familiar?

"They sound… I feel like I know them, but I can't quite put my finger on it…" Caleb responded, his voice hesitant as Harvey's expression darkened.

"You don't remember the names of the people you killed?" he asked incredulously and Nelson could have snapped his fingers in understanding. That's it! Nina and James were the couple who had been stupidly driving late at night when he hit them after…Well, after a rough day.

"Ah! Nina and James." He beamed, pleased that he remembered "Yes, unfortunate thing that happened to them, though according to my trial, that is all done and over. I- Wait a moment. Mike Ross, you said? Is he a relative?"

"Their son." Harvey answered, and suddenly looked aghast "Do you have no guilt over what happened?" he asked and Nelson frowned before shaking his head.

"It's over…Why would I?" he questioned as he thought back to the boy he had seen earlier… It had been the same kid? Caleb remembered seeing the little boy at his trial, watching him with lifeless hatred as he defended himself on the stand, blue eyes matching the ones Caleb had seen on his mother before he rammed the car.

What a small world.

"Good question." His lawyer stated dryly and tossed a manila folder onto his desk. "Find someone else to take this case… And I would find someone fast if I were you, considering I just talked to your prosecutor and offered my services." Harvey smiled and Caleb felt his mouth drop.

"You're…_Suing_ me?" he demanded, his voice portraying his utter shock at the statement and at this point, Harvey had leaned over so that his palms were flat on the desk, their eyes level with one another as he spoke quietly.

"No. I'm going to make sure you walk away from this without a cent to your name or a person in the whole goddamn country who would help you. I don't plan on suing you. I'm going to _destroy_ you." He promised darkly. "And when you are out in the streets- because you're going to end up there after I'm done- You should probably rethink about whether or not you should feel guilty about taking away those lives." He finished and turned, leaving the office with a swift shut of the door.

Oh _shit_.

* * *

"Stop smiling Donna." Harvey groaned as he sat down at his desk, trying not to look at his secretary.

"That was adorable."

"Not to Nelson."

"I'm going to hack into the security cameras and watch it on movie nights." She grinned, sliding into the chair across from his desk. "And then, I'm going to show it to Mike and laugh at his face."

"You can laugh at his face, but no way is he seeing that." Harvey warned as he opened a pile of work that awaited him. Donna raised her eyebrows, still smirking and Harvey sighed, opting to ignore her.

"Where is Mike?" she asked, but if her smile was anything to go by, she already knew.

"I… Gave him the day off." Harvey answered loftily, cringing inside at the admittance.

"Because you totally just had your heart break for him."

"No. Because _I_ needed a break _from _him."

"Aw, I bet tonight you can go by his apartment and have a heart to heart with some herbal tea and talk about your feelings." Donna cooed teasingly and the lawyer took a moment to give her a filthy look.

"Donna, go away." He told her grouchily and the secretary got up before pausing a throwing him one last smug look.

"Should I go warn Louis to leave Mikey alone because big brother Harvey is overprotective?" she asked and laughed at the look she received before heading out.

Sighing, Harvey leaned back and ran a hand over his face. Donna was not going to let this go. Ever. He would be on his death bed and the last thing she would say to him would somehow relate to this day.

He decided it was worth it though. Harvey would never admit it, but Mike's face after he learned that Harvey had chosen him over Nelson was absolutely heart wrenching. It was something between absolute shock, confusion, gratefulness, and delight. The kid was going to kill him.

Not that he cared or anything. He just… Damn.

There wasn't even an excuse for this one.

* * *

**Yep. That's it...I had plot bunny attack after I read this though, so I COULD make this into a two-shot I suppose if you guys really wanted me to. If not, I'm content with keeping it like this. Please review (: **


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back (: I had a lot of down time the past few days, and got a lot of encouragement from all of your guys' reviews. I'm not for sure how I feel about this, I didn't really expect to be writing anytime soon since my plate has been so full, but once I got started the words just kind of flowed, so I'll leave it up to you whether or not it is any good. **

**Disclaimer: Ha! If I owned Suits I guarantee you ninety percent of my problems would go away :P Yet, they are here so...I think not. lol.**

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**No Excuse: Part II**

"I can't believe we're arguing about this again."

"Because you won't accept the fact I'm right!"

"Are you?"

"Yes." Harvey responded with an air of importance. They were in Harvey's office, Donna sitting at the couch, reading over her boss' schedule on her phone as Harvey himself sat at his desk, half-focused on a pile of papers.

"Even your opponents?"

"Yes Donna, even my opponents like me. Think of me as…God. Sometimes people disagree with him, but in the end they figure out he's always right and love him for it."

"You are so not making this a religious debate…And I'm pretty sure the atheists of the world might have something to say about that."

"But my point is proven."

"Not really."

"Come on! Mike isn't mad at me anymore, so who on Earth doesn't like me?" the lawyer questioned and at that moment, Jessica stormed in, hands on hips as she stood in front of her employee with narrowed eyes.

"Harvey…" she growled and Donna gave a small noise of triumphant as Harvey peered around his boss to give her an incredulous look.

"You plan this. I know you do." He shot at her before redirecting his attention to the fuming woman in front of him. "Jessica." He nodded in greeting and watched as she walked around to sit at the edge of desk, looking out at the skyline.

"Harvey," she began calmly "Do you know how we keep this firm from collapsing?"

"My exceeding intelligence and guts?"

"_Money_!" Jessica hissed as she turned towards him, eyes flaring with anger and held a perfectly manicured nail to stop any comment her smartass employee was going to say. "And do you know how we _get_ the money?

"The _clients_." She ground out before Harvey could answer. "So tell me, why the Hell would you think it is okay to not only cut loose, but _threaten _a _five million dollar client_!?" she asked, her voice steadily rising to a yell.

"If we're talking about Caleb Nelson, It isn't considered a threat really if I do it…And I have every intention to do what I said I would."

At this point, Jessica took a deep breath, obviously calming herself before turning to Donna and pointing at the door for her to leave. Taking the hint, Donna gave her boss an _'I'm-so-sorry-for-you'_ expression before closing the door behind her and pointing a confused Mike, who had been about to enter away.

"I'll give you about five minutes to defend yourself." She gritted out and Harvey rose an eyebrow.

"I don't need to defend myself to you. He was my client and I decided what to do with him-"

"_My_ client. Let's not forget that what is mine is mine and what is yours is mine. You know, I'm not stupid Harvey. I knew from the moment I had dinner with Mike Ross and he told me his parents died in a car crash, who he was."

"Nina and James Ross were never mentioned in any of the trials by name." Harvey frowned and Jessica rolled her eyes, but didn't comment on it.

"I knew that this was Ross' first case with Caleb Nelson, and I knew it would cause problems. And I _trusted_ you to not do anything stupid!"

"What would you have had me do?! Force my associate to defend the man who killed his parents? Risk having a trial lost because he'd be too emotional to focus?"

"That's when you freaking _sit him out_!" Jessica exploded "_Not_ turn around and sue your own client! What could we _possibly _gain from this situation?"

"Jessica, eventually this guy would kill again. And then what? All the money we invest him will be gone because we can't defend him against something like that!"

"Really? We couldn't? Because I damn will did it fine the first time!"

Silence.

"What did you just say?" Harvey spoke slowly, his eyes narrowing and from outside the office, Donna had dropped all the copies she had just made, looking horrified. Jessica herself, seemed to realize she had yelled that last part out, and sighed warily.

"Caleb Nelson was my boss' client when I was an associate. That's why I handed him off to you, and _yes_ I did help defend him when he killed Nina and James Ross. We had a team of all the Senior Partners handle that one actually." She said, somehow meeting Harvey's eyes. "Listen to me." She told him firmly "I know. He's your associate, but you can't let personal feelings get mixed up in all this. You never have before, and that damn kid better not change that."

"My personal feelings? I have no personal feelings. You, however, apparently do. When exactly were you planning on telling me this?"

"I wasn't sure at first. Ross is a common name after all."

"And after?" Harvey asked, his voice rising slightly and Jessica shrugged nonchalantly.

"It never came up. Harvey-"

"Does Mike know?"

"I think you would know if he knew." Jessica told him with annoyance in her voice at being cut off. Taking a pen off of his desk, she twirled it in idle hands for a moment, her mind lost in thought. "Look, he's your kid, so you can decide whatever you want to tell him, but I want Caleb Nelson back with our firm in 24 hours. Clear?" she asked and got up to smooth her skirt out. Giving a smile, she turned to leave the door when Harvey spoke again.

"No." Spinning around slowly, the Managing Partner looked him in the eye for a moment before drawing in a deep breath.

"No?" she repeated dangerously. "Perhaps you didn't understand. That wasn't a suggestion."

"I'll take on another three clients. Hell, I'll take on whoever the hell you want me to, just not Caleb Nelson. I talked to his prosecutor and we're on the same side. I'll defend a murderer, a con artist, druggie, I don't care, but not this guy." Narrowed eyes fell upon him and there was a quiet moment where Harvey was truly concerned he might get fired.

"You cream this guy, and after that you take on whoever I damn well tell you to. And if Mike Ross gets in the way again, I'll have him gone and locked up before you can even blink. Do we understand each other?" she asked, her voice rigid and cold as Harvey nodded in assent. Once she got the look of agreement, Jessica left, leaving Donna to quietly approach.

"What are you going to tell him?" she asked softly and Harvey tried to turn his focus on the computer in front of him.

"Nothing. He doesn't need to know." Came the stiff reply. Donna opened her mouth, whether to agree or argue the situation was unknown though because at that moment a worried Mike floundered in, eyes wide and cheeks flushed.

"Are you okay? Was Jessica mad? She looked really mad when I saw you guys arguing in here…" he said fearfully before seemingly remembering the file in his hand and jumped, thrusting it out. "Oh. Here's the Nelson file. I finished it, but the printer is stuck so I had to go ride my bike across the street to use another printer. Then I came back. But that's why I couldn't give it to you sooner." He said, his eyes jumping around and Harvey quickly looked for further signs on drugs due to his associate's strange behavior. It was only after he noticed Mike's tapping hands he understood.

"How many of those damn drinks did you have?" he asked in amazement. Mike could down Red Bull like no one he had ever seen before. It was actually quite incredible, if not utterly terrifying he was going to collapse and die from caffeine overdose.

"Uh…I think one…two…Eight?" he guessed, now tapping his foot as he looked around and Harvey shook his head. This kid was going to kill him. He was. He swore it.

"Get out of my face and go home. We're deposing Nelson tomorrow and if you want a half of a chance of going you better prove to me you can handle it." He said and before Mike could speak, the older man cut him off. "That includes looking somewhat presentable, no caffeine, rest, and keeping your ribs from showing…Go eat a steak or something." He dismissed and Mike rolled his eyes.

"My ribs aren't showing…" he grumbled under his breath as he picked up his bag and made sure to attempt to give his boss a dignified look before almost falling flat on his face as he opened the door.

"You know…" Donna started wisely "If he ever finds out about Jessica, and he knows that you know, it wouldn't end well."

"Donna, we're just going to forget about this, okay?" he said crisply and watched as his secretary gave him a worried look. She seemed to relent after their staring contest though, putting her hands up in mock surrender.

"Alright. I'm just saying, I don't think this is going to end well." She stated and Harvey watched her go, praying that for once, she wasn't right.

* * *

The next morning was filled tension and obvious nervousness. Harvey had done his best to smile for the cameras, making sure the whole God damn firm knew he was ready to kill, like always. Mike, for his part, was deathly quiet. An aura of seriousness radiated around him, as it always did when they worked on a big case. This time though, you could literally feel the apprehension rolling off in waves. His movements were stiff, and eyes completely focused.

Normally, that would reassure his boss, but this time Harvey was more concerned that his associate might start throwing punches if things got to personal. Since the moment Mike got into work, he had been trying to remind the younger man how exactly to behave, but unfortunately Mike seemed too in the zone to care. It was only when they were about ten feet away from the conference room did Harvey finally push hard enough to get through.

"Mike, I'm serious. I- Hey!" Harvey snapped, grabbing his associate's arm so that he was forced to look at him. Mike gave an annoyed look, but complied, waiting for Harvey to spit out whatever it was he had been trying to tell him.

"You cannot get emotional."

"I'm not!" he objected immediately and Harvey gave him a suspicious look.

"I'm not kidding. This guy is going to try to press your buttons. _Do not lose your cool_. Understand?"

"I know! I'm not going to do anything, I swear!"

"I'm dead serious. If you even blink wrong, I'm sending you out." He warned and watched as Mike bitch faced at him.

"Not a kid." He muttered with sulkiness that projected otherwise. It wasn't exactly a sight that helped Harvey's confidence in bringing him into this deposition, but he knew he needed him. The only tricky part was making sure Mike didn't react to Nelson whatsoever.

"Alright. Come on then Boy Wonder, we got an ass to kick." He smiled cockily and led him off to the conference room where Nelson and his new lawyer were waiting.

* * *

After his parent's death, Mike had undoubtedly avoided alcohol all he could. The sight, the smell, the taste. It was always too much. However, once he and Trevor had run across a gang when they were fourteen, that all went downhill.

The guys had been all ten feet tall and twice as wide. The fact that they had baseball bats and knives weren't exactly reassuring either. The alcohol was there though, and it was a good time to do whatever the scary guys said.

So they drank. And _God_ did it feel amazing. The freedom, the blinding feeling of floating around without a single drop of pain in your blood, it was incredible. The next thing he knew, Mike just wanted more and more, and God help him, _more_.

The gang had smiled, pouring them more glasses, laughing at their new 'friends' drunk off their asses. Honestly though? Mike didn't give a damn. He still wanted- no _needed-_ more. He needed to make all the memories float away, somewhere where he couldn't find them.

It was only the next morning, when he was so hung over he couldn't even move and his whole body writhed in pain, did the smell hit him.

It was quite honestly the most disgusting thing he had ever smelled in his entire life. It was bold, and bitter, and stale. Mike remembered it clearly from when he had gotten out of the car, a pair of hands dragging him away from his father's corpse and his mother's flailing figure. The smell had been so distinct at that moment, all over the other man who lazily got out of the other car and drunkenly ran around, dodging the police.

With the memory fresh in his mind, Mike didn't turn to alcohol for at least another week. Trevor still did though, and Mike knew he would too again eventually. It was the best thing he had ever felt…Well, that was before he found drugs (bless those things), and as he drank, Mike could _almost_ allow himself to forgive Nelson.

Almost.

Some part of him thinks he may have if it hadn't been for that trial, where Nelson had stood up there, _smiling_ at the jury as he convinced them that he wasn't a murderer, that it was an honest mistake… Mike may have forgiven him.

But he couldn't. He couldn't.

_"It was one of those days."_ He had said. As if a bad day justified his parents' death. As if one bad day gave him the right to murder two innocent people who had just been going home after taking their son out to dinner for his birthday.

The irony of it all was sickening.

Now, as Mike sat across from the same man, he couldn't help but feel determination well up in his chest. He would never let this man hurt anyone again. Never.

Focusing on Harvey's warnings not to get emotional, Mike fixated on the new lawyer in the room instead. She was about forty, brown hair with green eyes and looked about as sharp as Jessica, which posed as a problem.

It was all mind games. That was how they were going to do this dance.

"Mr. Specter." The woman greeted with a sideways smile. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Hannah Wyatts."

"Ms. Wyatts. Mr. Nelson." Harvey countered with a smile and handshake. "My associate Mike Ross." He introduced as Hannah's eyes roamed over him. Nelson tried to meet his eyes, and Mike obliged for a moment. Blue met brown and Mike detected the barest hint of excitement underneath the surface of his firmly placed expression. Was he actually looking forward to this?

"Caleb Nelson." Harvey started as soon as the camera was set and rolling. "You are being accused of laundering money from your company to support your drinking habit, correct?"

"Yes." Nelson nodded, meeting his old lawyer's smug look.

"Would you say you have a drinking problem?"

"Don't answer that." Hannah cut in quickly and Mike rose an eyebrow.

"That's a fair question." He argued and Wyatts held her chin firmly as she looked at him.

"A leading question."

"A leading question is a question in which only one obvious answer can be given. This is a yes or no question. Your client was asked if he thought he had a drinking problem."

"That is an opinion question, trials are based on facts." Came the sharp reply and before Mike could argue any further, Harvey cut in.

"Alright." He intercepted smoothly "Mr. Nelson chooses not to comment. Moving on. Is it true that that over the month you have bought over….Eleven gallons of wine?" he asked, his eyebrows raising as he looked at the paper Mike had handed him earlier.

"I…Can't say for sure, I don't keep track of how much I buy."

"You don't keep track?" Mike quickly pounced "How do you know when you've had enough?"

"I usually stop after two glasses."

"So then you're saying the paper that reads you bought eleven gallons this last month is wrong."

"Maybe I am."

"Well before you said you don't keep track." Mike scoffed "Which is it?"

"Next question." Came the terse voice of Nelson's lawyer and Harvey smirked, giving Mike a rewarding grin before carrying onward.

"It says in these files you have been charged nine times in the past three years with a DUI. Is this true?" he asked and at this, Nelson tipped his head back and laughed. From beside him, Hannah blinked in confusion, unsure of how this was funny.

"Oh quit playing games Harvey and say what you really want to get at. These questions are all just warming up so that your associate over there doesn't freak when we bring up Nina and James Ross." He shook his head and instantly, they lawyers went into action.

"Turn that off." Hannah hissed, grabbing at the camera. Harvey shot forward to push her hand away as Mike quietly assessed Nelson who looked right back at him.

"Let's talk about them then." He responded softly and Harvey stiffened. "Nina and James Ross were hit by your car, while you driving, correct?"

"That is what the papers said."

"Then, explain to me, how exactly did you end up hitting them?" Mike asked, his voice trying to keep from getting lower as he spoke, but nevertheless sounded dangerous.

"Why don't you tell me? You were there." Came the quick reply and before Mike could speak the camera was clicked off and gone from the table, Harvey grabbing Mike and shoving him roughly out of his chair and behind him.

"This deposition is over." He spoke coolly and turned to Hannah. "You think he'd hold up in court? Let me give you this deal now. Ten million dollars and fifty years with no parole."

"For laundering money?!" she asked incredulously. "That will never hold!"

"Ten million, forty years. No parole."

"You know as well as I do that the max for laundering is twenty years." She glowered and Harvey gave a smirk.

"Yeah, and the amount of money is usually $500,000 or twice the amount of money taken. Which in this case, should cost him thirty million dollars since he was accused of stealing fifteen million. But you know what? He doesn't have thirty million. He has ten. So we're taking the ten and upping the prison time. That's my final offer." Harvey said, straightening up so he could make sure she understood every word he said.

"That isn't a deal." She gritted out. "What could me or my client gain from that?"

"Me not making both of you look like fools in court." Harvey responded loftily and walked out the door, his hand pressing against Mike's back to push him forward with a mixed expression of smugness and undeniable anger.

The walk to Harvey's office was silent, though the moment the door closed, that quickly changed.

"What the _Hell_!?" Mike hissed, spinning towards his boss "What was _that_?"

"Me putting Nelson behind bars. Do you have a problem with that?" Harvey spoke evenly, eyes boring into Mike's.

"Don't bullshit me. The moment he brought up my parents you didn't just shut me down, you literally _pushed me out of the way_!"

"I told you not to get emotional!"

"_Me_!?" Mike asked incredulously "You think_ I_ got emotional? Who shoved who away from him? Who took the camera down and literally made one of the most ridiculous deals ever heard of?"

"Wyatts will take that deal!"

"Nelson won't! He got away with convincing a jury to let him go after he killed two people, he's got to think this is a cake walk! And all that money we just won, was just wasted in going into court!" he finished, his voice escalating to a yell and people walking passed slowed, their eyes drawn to the two shouting men through the glass walls.

"One more word and you're fired." Harvey threatened seriously and Mike gritted his teeth before turning away and running a hand through his hair. "I know how to do my God damn job. I didn't get emotional. I don't get emotional. I've been doing this for much longer than you have so I would shut your mouth and watch how you talk to me."

Mike stared, his fists clenched and breathing slightly heavier as he tried to rile down his fury. Swallowing hard, he turned towards the door and yanked it open with much more force than necessary, leaving his mentor alone in the office.

Harvey paused for a moment, digesting the empty room before cursing and hitting his desk in frustration.

"Harvey…" a gentle voice spoke from the doorway and he looked up to see Donna eyeing him over with a combination of wariness and understanding. "You know, you become a total ass when you're worried." She commented flatly and her boss glowered.

"I'm not-"

"Harvey." She cut him off with a knowing look. "You know I would side with you if you decided the moon was green, but you can't slap the dog over something he was trained to do."

Feeling the sinking remembrance of everything that had just happened, Harvey sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"You remember the last time I acted like this?"

"When you worked for Cameron Dennis and you found out he was a law-breaking bastard trying to manipulate you into his unlawful ways." Donna answered dutifully and a small smile hinted at his lips.

"Yeah." He sighed and considered Donna's early words. He had been worried at the time with Dennis. He was worried he would get caught, that he wasn't a good person, that his boss wasn't who he thought him to be, that the McKenzie brothers would walk and would hurt someone, there was so much. Now? He was worried and it looked as though he transformed into a world class bastard again, and not the good kind either. "Ugh…" he groaned "This is wrong. My associate's dead family comes up and I'm the one who takes it personally." He grumbled and Donna rose her eyebrows.

"You are so out of your comfort zone with him, aren't you?" she asked with exasperation before smiling fondly. "Honestly Harvey, you already treat him like Marcus eighty-percent of the time. What would you do if you were having this fight with him instead of Mike?" she asked and Harvey considered. What _would_ he do if he had acted like an ass to his brother?

Well, it wouldn't have been the first time at least. The two of them sort of had a process going. Harvey would be a jerk, Marcus would go away to sulk, Harvey would find him, they would have a very light hearted banter and maybe talk about why they were mad, and then go do something. Simple.

However, it was little different seeing that Marcus was his little brother and Mike was his co-worker. Donna seemed to read his mind because she rose both eyebrows in a _yeah right_, gesture. Damn.

Ignoring her, he got up to go find Mike and hopefully make amends in this mess.

* * *

Right after his parents died, Mike didn't talk. Not to his grandmother, not to the police officers, or therapists… No one. He had just sat there in stony silence, Trevor sometimes joining him to offer him whatever quiet support he could.

Eventually, the two came up with a system. Neither would talk, Trevor would just come up and sit, offering him three choices of DVDs. Mike would tap one and he would put in the player, the two simply watching the movie and once it was finished, Trevor would disappear again, later coming back with a board game that they would silently play. It went on like that for weeks before Mike started talking again, and even then it was only to Trevor or occasionally his grandmother once he was released into her care.

Right now, as Mike ran a frustrated hand through his hair, he wished his old friend was here. He missed how they read each other, one always knowing what the other needed. It was one of those things that Trevor would know what Mike needed before he knew himself and vice versa, and at the moment, Mike needed someone to tell him what he needed.

Taking a pause in his pacing to breathe, Mike looked around for something to distract him. He just needed five minutes to calm down, get his brain to slow down and stop rattling.

Sitting with his back against the wall, he dropped into the nearest chair, picking up a file at random and scanning through it.

"You're doing Louis' work for free now?" a voice asked and Mike looked up to see Harvey walking towards him, grabbing another chair to sit across from him.

Looking down, Mike made a face once he realized it _was_ Louis' file and threw it to the side with a noise of disgust.

"Come to ream me out some more?" he asked, studying over his boss carefully.

"Nope. You might have had a few points, but that happens to rarely I didn't see it right away."

"Psh. I'm right ninety percent of the time and you know it."

"Maybe when it comes to facts know-it-all, but you're looking a little rough on common sense."

"Common sense is common, that doesn't mean everyone has it."

"Oh God. That isn't exactly reassuring." Harvey groaned and Mike let a small grin touch his lips.

"Sorry I yelled at you." Mike apologized.

"I thought we went over this whole apologizing thing. You only say sorry when you do something wrong. In this very rare case, you were right." Harvey told him before going quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry." He finally came out.

"About freaking out…Or about Jessica?" came the flat response and Harvey's head shot up towards his associate with a slack jaw.

"You know about Jessica?"

"Harvey, I was at the trial you know. I remember her."

"And…Even after you met her you wanted to work for her?" he responded with awe and confusion.

"No way. I wanted to work for you. I mean, she's a great lawyer and all that, but I don't think I can ever like her." Mike shrugged before tilting his head and giving a small smirk "You know, I totally wished we had finished filming that deposition. I could have had it as proof that the Great Harvey Specter not only _cares_, but can…Wait for it… Get _emotional._" He mocked and Harvey groaned.

"You are such a wuss. I wasn't… Never mind." He shook his head and gestured to the door. "Come on, I'm starving and you're totally paying for Chinese."

"What!? The millionaire is making the poor guy pay? That's just wrong."

"What can I say? I'm a nice guy." Harvey shot back quickly before shooting his associate a sideways look. Part of him wanted to just let everything that just happened drop, but the other half needed to know the answer.

"Mike… They got you out of the car, right? Before you saw…You know." He asked quietly and Mike's hand hovered over the buttons as they reached the elevator.

"No. I was stuck in there for three hours. My Mom…She was still alive, but the windshield had broken and a huge piece of glass was stuck on her stomach so she couldn't move. I was cut up, but I wasn't bad so I remember climbing over the seat to check on my Dad but…" his voice trailed off, and Harvey nodded. He didn't need to know the details now. One day, when Mike was ready to talk about it he would know everything that happened that night, but until then he was content with leaving it at that.

Not that it mattered to him or anything. He just needed to know. For reasons. That's it. Honestly.

From across the office Donna rolled her eyes with a scoff.

"Blind idiots." She mumbled and made another copy.

* * *

**Hmm... Like I said, I'm not for sure how much I like it. You know how with books and movies the sequel is never as good as the first? It kind of felt like that. I try to keep my 'shot' pieces from 1,000 to 3,000 words and this one was almost five. So it was a bit longer, and I'm not for sure how I did emotionally (Okay, I don't think I've ever used that word so much in a story btw :P lol). I tried to make it somewhat realistic to what might happen on the show. I don't know! I'm just tired and stressed! I need to go take a nap...Review (:**

**-Kensi**


	3. Chapter 3

**So...Do you know that feeling where you randomly wake up at one in the morning and have a sudden inspiration to just _write_ without any real reason? Yeah. I had one of those. Thus, this chapter was born! I know I was originally finished with this particularly story, but I saw a little space where I could add one last chapter and went for it. Hopefully I won't ruin this whole thing with this...I suppose it is for you to decide. I am probably going to post this later in the day to at least make sure I make a little sense, considering it IS one in the morning...See? I am already losing focus. Oh well...Hopefully this all works out :P Enjoy!**

* * *

Mike felt _amazing_. The past few weeks had gone by quickly, but not without rewards. Caleb Nelson was totally going down.

As expected, they didn't take the absolutely ridiculous deal Harvey had shoved down their throat at the deposition, a fact Mike made sure to give a very subtle _'I told you so'_ comment to.

However, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that they weren't going to win this case. Caleb Nelson was going to be locked up so fast, he wouldn't even knew what hit him.

"Are you seriously going to wear that suit?" Having his optimistic train of thought interrupted, Mike scowled to turn to his mentor, who was eyeing over his $100 suits with distaste. "I thought we were past the whole 'looking bad' ordeal."

"You know, you totally sound like a teenage girl right now."

"A teenage girl would scream at the sight of _that_."

"Rachel seemed ok with it." Mike defended and there was a moment where he saw Harvey raise an eyebrow before grinning at him.

"You left before she could see you, didn't you?" he asked with amusement and Mike groaned.

"Harvey." He whined and shoved the files at him, pouting. "Can we _please_ just focus on the important thing here? The trial."

"Sure, sure. I think the jury has a lot of women on it. Perhaps you can appeal to their mothering nature dressed like _that_."

"Really? That's the best you can come up with?"

"I'm sure the WalMart cashier came up with better." Harvey told him, trying not to laugh at the look on his associate's face.

"Donna!" Mike called and the secretary walked in, dumping files onto Harvey's desk and then handing Mike another suit which she had somehow brought from out of nowhere.

"Harvey, be nice to the puppy." She said exasperated "It isn't his fault he doesn't know how to dress."

"Thanks…Kind of." Mike muttered with his nose scrunched up in defiance and Donna rolled her eyes before handing him a cup of coffee. "Thanks!" he said with more enthusiasm this time and Harvey held out his hand for his.

"Who said you got one?" Donna replied with raised eyebrows. "You didn't ask, and Mikey over here has been bringing me lattes every day. With _soy_ milk." She stressed "How thoughtful is that?" she beamed before leaving the office and Harvey scowled before swiping the coffee from his associate.

"Hey!"

"You're such a suck up."

"You're just jealous 'cause you didn't think of it." Mike pouted and Harvey scoffed, but made a note to stop by Starbucks on their way back from the trial.

"Alright Rain Man, you ready to kick some ass? Be honored I'm letting you come." Harvey told him and Mike beamed, too excited to really argue with his logic of letting him come. Mike thought it was sort of obvious he was allowed to be there for this trial, but knew Harvey would never admit it.

"Awesome! Uh…Wait a sec. I guess I have to change into this." Mike frowned, looking at the suit Donna had handed him and Mike made a face as he tested the material. "Why does everything you guys' own have to be soaked in money?" he complained as he disappeared into the bathroom and Harvey shook his head, already zoning into his kick-ass mode. Caleb Nelson? He was done.

* * *

"Your honor. I honestly see no reason why we are here." Harvey spoke confidently as he circled the room. "The amount of evidence- all pointing to this man- is completely overwhelming. What more do we need? Why is it fair to waste the jury's time, for something that is so obvious?" he asked, gesturing to the jury who was watching with vague interest rather than the usual boredom.

They had gone into the numerous witnesses, arguments, and Mike was pretty pleased to say, they looked pretty good. Nelson hadn't done a convincing thing yet, and Mike was enjoying the view of watching him squirm.

Hannah Wyatts' reaction was a little more bothersome. Less panicked and just…Calm. Mike didn't know what was going through the lawyer's mind at the moment and felt nervous just thinking about it.

They had gone through everything. The facts, the statistics, the records, the witnesses- Everything. Could she really have anything up her sleeve this late in the game?

It was a thought he was still pondering, even as Harvey sat down next to him, looking pleased with himself as the jury had made a rumble of agreement during his speech.

"Ms. Wyatts?" the judge asked as she scribbled something down and for a second, Wyatts leaned over to whisper something to Nelson, who grinned and nodded. What the Hell?

Seeing the movement, Harvey stiffened. What hand were they bringing to the table? What _could_ they bring? Unless…No. No way.

"I would like to call one last witness to the stand." Hannah called as she walked around the desk, her green eyes sharp, and hawk like. "Would Mike Ross please come up?"

"Objection!" Harvey stood up so fast, Mike almost jumped. "My associate has no business up there." He growled at her, but Wyatts cut him off.

"Your honor, what this man has neglected to inform you, is that Mike Ross has a direct link to my client. His parents were supposedly killed by Caleb Nelson. A charge that was _dropped_." She stressed and at this point whispers spread quickly across the court.

"Mr. Ross." The judge spoke and Harvey opened his mouth, but Mike had already been making his way to the front, dazed.

"Don't Harvey." He whispered "This is good, right? I can let the jury know what he did to my parents."

Harvey hesitated, not sure if someone like Hannah Wyatts would make such a stupid move, but nevertheless, moved aside.

After the initial oaths had been sworn and Mike was nervously seated in the chair, Hannah got up, walking back and forth in front of him before standing in front of him.

"Mr. Ross… Is it true that Mr. Nelson and your parents got into an accident that resulted into their deaths?"

"Yes."

"Is it true that there was a trial involved?"

"Yes."

"And was Caleb Nelson charged with anything?"

"No, but-"

"Why not? The report says that he was driving under the influence. Were you not able to prove that?"

"We were, but-"

"Then how did he walk?"

"The judge was paid off-"

"Was there any proof of _that_?"

"No, I-"

"Then how do you know? How old were you when this happened anyways?"

"Eleven. And I know because-"

"Eleven. So you were a little kid, who was mourning his parents' deaths, and someone told you alcohol was involved. Of course you would believe that. I'm sure that many of the accusations pointed towards Mr. Nelson started the same way. People looking for a way to blame him, without looking at the facts. The facts are, you didn't win the trial which means he wasn't driving intoxicated that night. How do we know all the other cases you brought up, weren't the same way?"

"Objection!" Harvey hissed, glaring heatedly at Wyatts, who smiled and walked back to her seat.

"No further questions your honor." She spoke quietly. Mike sat, there, looking stunned at having been so thoroughly beaten, unable to have gotten a word in to defend himself. He was reminded of those long weeks where he would be put in Foster homes when social workers 'inspected' his grandmother's living conditions and they wouldn't let him say a word without shutting him down.

No way was he going to be silenced again.

"Mr. Spector? Any questions?" the judge asked and for a moment it looked as though Harvey was going to just let Mike down off the stand. Mike shook his head though, hoping his expression of _'Just do it'_ rang clear to the older man. Harvey looked hesitant, but seemed to understand though, walking around to him before quietly asking.

"You know I'm going to ask for everything, right?"

"And I'm going to give you everything." He responded and Harvey nodded, a mixture of regret and respect hinting at his features as he stepped away.

"Mr. Ross, could you enlighten us on a specific skill you happen to possess?"

"Which one are you referring to?" Mike grinned, and Harvey shot him a dangerous look. "I have photographic memory." He answered.

"Which is?"

"Everything I read, see, smell, hear- If I understand it I'll remember it forever."

"Could that be proven?" he asked and Mike nodded, looking at the jury who was sitting with a curious look on their face before he addressed them.

"Do any of you have any books on you?" he asked quietly and woman nodded, diving into her pack before bringing out a copy of _The Call of Cthulhu_ by H.P. Lovecraft. "Could you pick a page at random and just reading?" he asked politely and woman looked puzzled, but cleared her throat.

"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents." She began and Mike jumped in quickly.

"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age." He finished and then stopped and shrugged bashfully. "I could, um, tell you the rest but that's a bit of overkill." He smiled shyly and the jury started whispering quickly as Hannah Wyatts sat there looking stunned next to her client. Harvey nodded improvingly, moving back into his questioning.

"So, would you remember what happened to your parents that night?"

"Yes."

"In great detail?"

"Every single one."

"Could you tell us?" Harvey asked, and this time, it sounded like a ligament question rather than something asked to prove a point. Mike nodded before looking at Caleb Nelson. This was the person he wanted to hear this.

"We had been driving home on my birthday…"

* * *

_The rain was beginning to splatter lightly on the car as Mike Ross jumped up and down in his seat, thrilled to no end as his parents finished their third verse of Happy Birthday. They had just left dinner at his favorite restaurant and were heading home late to open presents._

_His mother was in the passenger seat, tapping her fingers to the music as she always did when a song came on. Her blonde hair was tilted to the side so that her face wasn't visible at the moment, but Mike knew she was smiling. His Dad was focusing on the road, humming something under his breath with his lips puckered out to prove he was concentrating on something._

_"Did you have a good birthday honey?" his mom asked, now turning to him and he grinned before nodding._

_"Being eleven is awesome!" he declared with a fist in the air. "We should do this every day!" _

_"I think we would be bankrupt if that happened." His Dad chuckled from the front "You ate about half the restaurant back there kiddo." He said and Mike shrugged. He was reaching that age where his body just wanted food, and lots of it._

_"Maybe you could just get me a present every day." He offered and his Mom laughed, swinging around in the seat to mess with his hair playfully._

_"Oh yeah? What do you think you got?" she asked and reached over to grab her sketch book from beside Mike. She spent the next couple minutes lightly letting her hand move up and down the page as her son babbled on about his guesses for his gifts._

_"Hey, I have a pretty good idea for a gift." James spoke up and looked at his wife who paused and tilted her head towards him with a questioning look before nodding with a smirk._

_"Really? What is it? Is it a new bike? 'Cause I rode the first one you got me really well, and-"_

_"Michael slow down." His mother rolled her eyes fondly and then shut her sketch book once more. "Me and your father were thinking earlier…How would you feel if you had a friend live with you?"_

_"A friend? Like Bryan and Trevor? That would be awesome!" Mike beamed, suddenly thrilled at the prospect and his mom shook his head._

_"Well, a different kind of friend. Someone a lot younger than you." She said and Mike blinked, puzzled. _

_"Someone a lot younger than me? Like who?"_

_"Maybe…Like, I don't know…A brother or sister?" his Dad suggested and Mike took a moment to digest the meaning._

_"A…brother or sister? Really?!" he suddenly yelled out, excitement flying into his tone "Mom! Are you going to have another kid!? I'm going to be a brother!?" he called out, elated at the news. "Do you know if it is going to be a boy or a girl? What are we going to name them? Can I help pick out a name? Are we going to paint the guest room a new color? Oh my God…What if you had twins!" Mike gasped, completely blown away by this new idea. Nina and James looked at each other, obviously amused by this reaction. _

_Mike waited for their answers, already planning on calling Trevor later to tell him the news. They didn't come though as he felt the car suddenly jerk to the side as his Dad let out a yelp of surprise. _

_"What is he doing!?" he heard him say and there were suddenly white lights that blinded the eleven year old so he couldn't see anything, and the world went flying. _

_There was a moment where Mike felt everything go light, like he was floating in space before the bright lights disappeared and were replaced by an unexpected blackness. He could hear a scream, which could have been either his or his mother's as a sudden slamming sensation sent jolts of pain everywhere. His head jerked forward, smacking the seat in front of him so that he was dizzy for a moment and the shrill screaming stopped, replaced with some kind of gasp of pain and choking sound. _

_"M-Mom?" he coughed, groaning as he peeled his shaking body back from the seat. _

_The first thing he really saw were the flecks of blood sprinkled throughout the car. It was hard to say whose it was though, considering Mike had looked down to find his entire body in cuts. From up front, he saw his mother's heaving body sliced as well._

_"M-Mom?" he tried again, his voice higher this time and almost jumped when a bloody hand touched him._

_"Mike? Baby, are you there?" a weak voice asked and the eleven year old unbuckled his seatbelt and crawled over to her. _

_"I'm here Mom…Mommy, what happened?" he whispered, reverting back to her childhood name and felt a sticky substance smear across his face as she stroked his cheek._

_"Don't worry about it Mikey, but I need you to do something brave, okay? Could you do that?" she whispered back and Mike nodded solemnly. "I need you to go over to your Father and touch his neck right here." She coughed, demonstrating on her son. _

_Mike accepted the task and moved over the tight area, pushing through the metal, focusing on only his breathing as the walls of the car seemed to cave in until he felt his father's body._

_"Dad? Dad, Mom wants you." He choked, feeling his neck like his Mom instructed. _

_Nothing._

_"Dad…Dad, come on, we got to get out of here." He spoke desperately, because he knew. He suddenly just knew what the nothing in his neck meant. "Dad! Wake up!" he yelled angrily as tears threatened to spill over. "Mom, he won't wake up…" he told her almost hysterically as he went back over to her. _

_Nina Ross let out a choked sob as she digested the news, but tried not to respond so much for the sake of her son. _

_"Okay…" she breathed out slowly and looked down at her stomach. The larger of the shatter glass from the windshield was deep within her stomach. In anguish, she realized painfully that even if she survived, her unborn child definitely wouldn't "Okay. Mikey? Are you with me Baby?" she asked and watched as her firstborn nodded, blood trickling down his face and speckled across his body, his right arm already in need of stitches._

_"Mom, are we going to die?" he asked quietly as he curled up in the little space there was next to her, his eyes watering at the sight of her dire situation. "Never mind." He quickly corrected himself. "I'm not going to let you die." He whispered and Nina closed her eyes._

_"Mike." She sighed, wincing in pain "You need to get out the car."_

_Tightening his hold on his mother's hand, Mike resolutely shook his head, looking absolutely horrified at the idea._

_"No! I'm not going to leave you!" he told her firmly and Nina swallowed, bringing up her hands weakly to kiss her son's knuckles. _

_"Mike, you need to get out before you get hurt." She coughed, and then shook her head, realizing that wouldn't be enough to get her son to safety. "I need you to get out so you can call for help."_

_This seemed to cause the eleven year old to hesitate as he looked out the window warily. He was still unsure of leaving his mom when there was a sudden click and he turned to feel his eyes widen at the horrific view of red flames engulfing the back side of the car._

_"Oh God…" his mom said, and her voice suddenly went hard. "Mike get out of the car and run."_

_"But-"_

_"Now." She cut him off of, swallowing back a sob. Mike sniffed, but wiggled his way out ruefully as the fire slowly made its approach. _

_"I'll come back for you." He promised and Nina finally let tears fall down her face._

_"I love you." She told him weakly and watched him sprint off before slowly inching forward to grab her dead husband's hand. "We love you."_

_She wished Mike could have heard as he sprinted off, his heart increasing rapidly as he made his way up back to the road, where another car laid on its side. Lights began to flash as police cars rolled up and he waved his hands hysterically._

_"Help! Help!" he cried as the officers ran up to him. "My Mom is down in the car, you need to help her!" he told them, and suddenly heard fast talking, and hands suddenly were dragging him away._

_"Kid, come on." Someone said and Mike fought back._

_"What are you doing? Help her!" he screamed, jerking back to where his mother was laying a little ways away. _

_"The fire is going to hit the gas tank-"_

_BAM!_

_Heat flew from behind him, and something knocked him to the ground, hot glass shattering everywhere. Someone had pulled him underneath them so that he couldn't endure anymore of the blow, but he pulled them off, letting out a horrified cry of despair._

_"MOM!" he yelled out and more sirens came with flashing lights. People were suddenly all around, pushing him towards the road again, poking his cuts and prodding him like some kind of animal. Their voices were reassuring, but he couldn't make out what they were saying…Everything was so blurry. _

_"Whoa…Wow….Pretty…" a slurred voice came and Mike felt his eyes fall onto a man who was sitting on top of the other car, watching his parents burn with fascination. "Look at that!" he cried with pleasure and Mike wanted to tell him to stop. That his parents' corpses were decaying because of that fire and to shut up._

_"Hey…Hey you!" he laughed, suddenly pointing at Mike as a police officer approached the man "Did you see that? Did you see the fire? I made that!" he grinned wildly "Hope whoever was in there was smart enough to run!" he chuckled and Mike stared as he clapped his hands like the end of a play. _

_"Honey? Come on, focus." A woman told him, pulling his gaze from the man. "Don't look at him. Don't even try to remember this right now. We'll get you all sorted." She soothed and Mike shook his head._

_He knew he would never forget this. This man. This moment. _

_He would remember it until he died._

* * *

No one had spoken, the jury quiet and viewers shocked into silence. Hannah Wyatts looked to be in submission for once, not speaking after the speech was finished.

Mike resisted the urge to squirm, feeling uncomfortable with all the unwelcomed attention. Looking forward he met Caleb Nelson's eyes, wondering what he felt at the moment.

He could have been looking at a brick wall for all the expression he exposed. Turning instead to Harvey, who was just as blank, he waited for something else to think or say.

"Nothing else your honor." Harvey spoke softly and waited until Mike was off the stand to sit back down, Hannah Wyatts having declined to cross-witness.

She knew the case was over.

Everything else went in a blur. The jury left the room and no one really spoke as they decided. A few saddened looks were casted in Mike's direction, but no one came near him. Though that could be partly because Harvey was next to him and they didn't want to risk their heads being torn off.

Finally, after about an hour (which in reality wasn't that long for a jury to decide) they came back, announcing their verdict.

Guilty.

* * *

"How do you feel?" Harvey asked, stretching in his chair as he leaned back and observed his associate who offered him a wry smile.

"Now that Nelson's behind bars?" he asked and then shrugged. "I don't know… I mean, I'm happy I guess… I just thought it would be a little more…" he trailed off.

"Rewarding?" Harvey supplied and Mike nodded.

"I didn't want his head chopped off or anything, but after all that, he still looked like he couldn't have cared less." He grumbled and then slid onto the couch. "Sorry." He yawned. "We can be done talking about this stuff."

Taking a moment to find a pen and launch it at Mike, Harvey sighed.

"You know, I do have a younger brother who is as much as a girl as you are. I will live if you want to vent a little." He offered, somewhat awkwardly and Mike grinned as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Is Harvey Spector offering to listen as I talk about my feelings?" he chuckled and Harvey found another pen to launch at him.

"Don't push it."

"Nah, don't worry about it. There really isn't much to say anyways. It's over."

"You never said you had any siblings."

"I don't." Mike shrugged "Hell, I never got to find out if it was a boy or a girl… I probably would have made an awful brother anyways."

"No you wouldn't have." Harvey responded automatically and Mike peered at him from his spot.

"Yeah," he said sarcastically "Cause I'm sure the kid would have been great with an older brother who got kicked out of college, smoked pot, and slept with a married woman." He finished darkly and Harvey frowned at the last reminder.

"Would you have done any of that stuff if you knew there was someone who looked up to you?" he asked, deciding to just be the lawyer he was and argue about everything.

"Why not? I did that stuff when I had people who had good faith in me." Came the tired response.

"It's different when it's siblings." Harvey said dismissively "When you know you have someone who will probably do what you do, you tend to make better choices." He said and paused for a moment, reviewing his most recent choices, and noting with extreme tiredness, how different they would have been if it had been two or three years ago.

"If you say so." Mike yawned and Harvey looked out the glass window to see Donna at her desk, watching expectantly. Silently she made some kind of gestured, which he didn't quite get. Flashing her a confused look, she sighed in response and pointed at Mike and then mouth the word 'bike' before shaking her head decidedly.

Oh. Good point.

"Come on." He told his associate, walking over and kicking his leg. "You get the day off with Rachel tomorrow."

"I do? Cool…Where are we going?" Mike mumbled tiredly as he got up and Donna opened the door for them.

"Ray is going to drive you home…I don't need you falling off your bike and dying."

"K…" Mike murmured drowsily, not even asking why Harvey wasn't coming…A testament of how exhausted he really was.

After making sure he made it to the elevator without face planting, the lawyer turned back to his secretary, who looked at him with some kind pity.

"Was it bad?" she asked and Harvey leaned back on her desk, thoughtful.

"He told the whole room what had happened that night… He watched them die." He added with disgust "And that bastard didn't even care."

"And you did?" Donna replied seriously.

"Jeez, I'm not a monster." Harvey spoke defensively "I would have felt bad if it were anybody."

"But this is Mike."

"So are you saying I would have felt better? I genuinely like the kid you know." He grumbled and Donna smiled at hearing it out loud.

"No. I'm saying the opposite actually."

"What is it with you and insisting I make this an angst thing?" Harvey sighed and Donna leaned back, frowning at him.

"Is doesn't have to be." She shrugged "I'm just noting out loud that we both know that at one point, you were a lot like Mike and you care about him."

"Like him? Maybe without the tragic backstory." He quipped, thinking about what he would have done if his parents had died before Marcus was born…He couldn't imagine dealing with life without his little brother.

"Your life hasn't been honey and flowers either Harvey." Donna told him sharply. Harvey scowled for a moment. Maybe he hadn't had the easiest time, but he at least had the people he cared about _alive_…And he wasn't _there_ when his Dad died…

Though in some ways, that was almost worse for him. The days where his once a day phone call with the man who had shaped his life were gone. Had been for years.

"Did you tell Jessica you won?" Donna asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah." He responded, thinking with hardened anger of her characteristic coldness to the situation.

Harvey suddenly wondered what she would have done if they had been in this situation when he was younger. If Jessica had perhaps found out her client was his mother? What would she have done?

Swallowing, he realized he may not like the answer to that. Jessica and him may have retied their bonds, but he knew that the firm would always come first. It was a disappointing feeling, but not exactly unexpected. Looking back at Donna, he groaned and grabbed his things as she grinned at him.

"Going home?" she asked innocently and he threw her a nasty look.

"Go home Donna." He told her flatly, because they both knew where is next stop was going to be. It might be a little awkward, just walking into his associate's apartment at…What time was it? Eleven? Nevertheless, he needed to check on the kid to make sure he was okay after this whole ordeal. Because Harvey had his back, no matter what. He always will. As sappy, and completely out of character as it was, it was also true.

Mike and Donna would probably never let him hear the end of it either.

Guess that's what you get for allowing a kid who wasn't a Harvard douche to come work for you.

Freaking little parasite. He was sucking away all of his hard-ass qualities. If he didn't watch out, he'd be hugging Louis soon.

"It isn't a bad thing you know." Donna called over her shoulder as she gathered her things, and he wondered how she now graduated into knowing what he was _thinking_.

Or was it really that obvious?

After Mike, he was _never_ going to get another associate. They were way too much work and emotional burdens….And they probably wouldn't have lived up to Mike anyways.

Oh God… He really was attached wasn't he?

Mike better have alcohol at his apartment, cause Harvey seriously needed it.

* * *

There weren't too many questions asked when a sleepy Mike opened the door. Harvey simply slipped in and found himself on the sofa, watching with slight amusement as his half-asleep associate made a somewhat attempt of being a host before finally deciding it wasn't worth the effort and falling onto the couch next to his boss.

"Did you come here to make sure I wasn't smoking or something?" he yawned tiredly and Harvey leaned back and shook his head. "I thought about it." he heard Mike admit warily "but it wasn't worth it... I figured it out it kind of works both ways."

"What does?" Harvey asked curiously and Mike put his head in his arms, obviously trying to stay awake to keep up with the conversation. Briefly, Harvey wondered if the kid had gotten any sleep the previous night for him to be so tired now.

"When you said people make better decisions when people look up to them. People also make better decisions when they don't want to let the people they look up to down." he mumbled and rubbed his eyes. "Not that I would know." he added and Harvey grinned.

"Of course not. That scenario has nothing at all to do with you or me."

"Not a thing." Mike agreed readily and stood up, grabbing a beer and tossing another one to Harvey. "So...No other words about what you heard today?" he asked with expectancy and Harvey pulled off the cap of his beer, taking a long sip thoughtfully.

"Do you still think about it?" he asked and Mike took the words in, looking deep in thought as he tapped his fingers against his glass.

"Sometimes. When things come up that remind me of them. My Dad...He was a lawyer you know." Mike smiled suddenly and tilted his head with a sudden smirk. "He went to Harvard."

"Should I be surprised?" Harvey asked "Did he have photographic memory too?"

"Nope. That was my Mom. She wasn't really that much of an academic though, she told me it was a waste of talent to memorize words instead of pictures."

"She was an artist." Harvey guessed and Mike nodded, his lips tugging more at the memories.

"Everything she drew was exact. Every little detail." he told him "My Dad was so jealous... I remember he would literally beg her to help him with cases because she was so much quicker than him. In the end she would make deals with him, if he cooked dinner that night or if he promised to take a day off to spend with just us, she would help...Otherwise he was screwed." Mike explained and Harvey paused, a light sketch of his associate's parents coming to life.

He could see it. Mike gaining Nina's personality with his father's ambition and knack for arguing. It was interesting, hearing about the two people Mike almost never even mentioned. Feeling as though he was almost cheating his friend, Harvey decided to add in a few cents of his own.

"People say I'm like my Mom." he began slowly, capturing Mike's attention "I always took it as such an insult after what happened, but looking back I guess it isn't so bad... She was smart. Resourceful. Knew how to get what she wanted."

"Was she lawyer too?" Mike asked carefully, seeming to tip-toe towards the subject in order not to break Harvey off from talking.

"Nope. A doctor." Harvey grinned as realization dawned on Mike. He now understood where all the doctor references came from. "She always seemed to know whatever anyone was thinking and how to get them to do what she wanted it. Same thing with me and my brother...We couldn't get away with anything." he said before sighing. "Only she could." he added bitterly "I didn't want my Dad to know. He was just so crazy about her. About all of us really. It hit him hard when she left."

Mike nodded, suddenly feeling terrible for Harvey. It was one thing to have his parents taken away from him, but for someone to _willing_ leave him? That might be worse...

"I don't think your Mom had a record collection." he put out there "Or knew anything about the Yankees."

"No." Harvey agreed with a smirk "To low class for her apparently." he snorted.

"Not for you though. Guess you're more like your Dad then... I notice you tend to be like the people who mean the most to you." he offered, somewhat shyly and Harvey nodded, accepting that before raising his beer and giving a silent toast to Nina and James Ross...

And maybe thanking them too.

* * *

**And...Cut! That's a wrap! Thank you all for reviewing and sorry that I couldn't have my burst of ambition earlier. I hope you did enjoy this chapter though (: Hopefully, I'll write more for this fandom, but right now I am gaining inspiration for Revolution and Supernatural...Have I even mentioned what a god Eric Kripke is? If not, let it be known that I love that man and his brilliant mind :P Of course, for this particular fic, I am going to have to give credit to Aaron Korsh! These characters and show all belong to him!...I'm going to be honest guys, I just had to look up the name and I feel really bad...**

**Alright, enough of my tangent. Thank you guys for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and it would be awesome if you reviewed!**

**Love,**

**Kensi **


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